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“It takes a village to raise a child.” I have heard this quote many times in my lifetime. From an educational standpoint, I promote that “It take a village to EDUCATE a child.” Every student needs a support system, in order to be successful, not only academically, but socially. As an educator, and then transitioning into a leader, it is my responsibility to create a safe environment that provides these opportunities for students. Through my journeys thus far in NELA, I have realized the potential I have to become a change agent. I see school as a place that students do not have to go, but a place they are ready to go to. I see students and teachers disappointed when June arrives, rather than counting down the days until it is here. I see students that once were discipline problems, arising and becoming leaders within their classroom. This can only happen by creating a support group for these students, that have a common goal, which is the success of students.
I believe that the purpose of schooling is to develop active citizens with the social and cognitive skills to ensure their ability to contribute positively to their communities and society. Educational institutes should teach the mathematical, language, science, social studies, reading and artistic skills in order to create citizens that will be able to enter in the workforce, the levels varying depending on the student’s abilities and desires. It is the job of the institute to help the student identify their abilities and desires, build on them, and then provide the tools to leave the institute and apply them. Schooling should also address the emotional aspect of a student. Schooling should help the student be able to identify and express their emotions in an acceptable manner in society, and then use what they are feeling to make informed decisions on how to react. There should then be a point where students are taught to take their acquired cognitive skills and emotional skills, and use them together simultaneously in order to be able to become leaders and decision makers within their community and society. Both, obtaining knowledge of skills in core subject matter, and knowing how to become productive, respected citizens in society are equally important in the purpose of schooling.
As an educator, I view education from a constructivist stance. I believe that education is a process of learning new ideas by building on previous knowledge, with a strong effective system that supports the process. Students can only learn and graduate through each step of development when they are cognitively, physically, affectively, and socially ready. It is the job of the village to help prepare the students to get them ready to learn, acknowledge that they are ready to learn, and help guide them to their next level of learning. Students learn best from past experiences, and being allowed the opportunity to grow from these experiences. People can only be what they know. Who a person is comes from where he or she has been. Because of this, education, to some extent is individualized. An effective village tries to cater to each child while choosing options that will benefit the entire institution. As educators, we cannot expect each child to learn the same way as the next. It is also not fair to assume that each child has the same background knowledge and experiences. It is our responsibility to assess students through finding out what each one knows, wants to know, needs to know, and the best way for them to learn information, and then create a village and instruction around the outcome of our assessments.
In my view of education, the key ingredient to the success of each student in an educational institute is a strong, effective, village mentioned above. The base of the pyramid for this model is the students. The tier above the students includes the teachers and the parents and/or guardians. To an extent, parents are the first educators that any student will encounter. The parents provide the opportunities for the very first experiences a student will bring with them into their educational journey. Once students enter into a formal educational system, the parent and teacher will work hand-in-hand to continue providing opportunities for learning, assessing the learning, and pushing the student beyond what they have already learned. The tier above this is when you begin to reach your educational leaders. Although, I do feel teachers should be considered educational leaders as well. They are with the students everyday, and can provide some of the best feedback for decision makers. Teachers should be involved in many of the decision making processes. Administrators are the link between students, parents and teacher, community members and educational leaders in central positions. They take information from the central services, school boards, and legislators and distribute it to students, teachers and parents. Administrators have to take the information provided and make decisions, rules and procedures that adhere to the rules, but best fit the population of students at their institution. On the flip side, administrators are also responsible for communicating the concerns and issues of their students, faculty and parents to the people in the higher positions before those individuals make their final decisions. Students, parents and faculty should have a feeling of safety and assurance that the administration of their school will be a voice and advocate for them. Administrators should be a support system for teachers. Teachers need to be comfortable enough with their administration to offer new ideas and suggestions, to be creative and try different educational strategies, and to turn to their administration when they face adversity among their students or parents. It is the responsibility of administrators to provide this environment for their faculty.